Japanese pro baseball team abandons training on Miyako

The Orix Buffaloes are finished with conducting spring training drills on Miyako Island.

The Japanese professional baseball organization has announced that spring training camp of the first team was moved from Miyako Island to Miyazaki prefecture on August 25th. Changes go into effect next year. According to Ryuzo Setoyama, the general manager of the team, there are three reasons; a better facility, easiness of adjustment of schedules of practice games and attracting a large number of customers.

The new camp site, Miyazaki Kiyotake Comprehensive Athletic Park, has a 5,500 capacity stadium and an indoor ground. They have constructed another stadium the same size as current one and a bull pen that ten people can practice in at a time. Construction is scheduled to finish next October.

The Yomiuri Giants and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are also training in Miyazaki City. Orix had had a camp since 1993. “We so much appreciated Miyako Island for supporting us,’ said the general manager Setoyama in Osaka.